I was sucked in by all of the hype to watch Little Mosque on the Prairie, the little Canadian sitcom that is making international headlines.  It’s about a group of Muslims living in central Canada who are typing to set up a Mosque in the basement of the local  church.  I was going to give it a pass, but all the talk about the show got me wondering if it might be any good.  After all, I was very surprised by Corner Gas when it came out and became a loyal follower of that show.  But besides Corner Gas, I can’t really think of any CBC show, let alone any Canadian show that I really liked (okay, maybe Traders was good too).  So let’s see how it fared against my list of expectations as a CBC show:

• Every character is a caricature, with over-exaggerated traits that seem to have been designed for community theater.  CHECK.  Ugh, just give me a character who is a person instead of a cartoon.  The main characters are over-done, and the extras even worse.
• Production values of a highschool A/V club project.  NOPE.  Actually, this one seemed pretty well produced which is a pleasant surprise.  It’s even in high-definition.
• Stories, characters, and language designed not to offend.  CHECK.  Nursing-home residents from St.John’s to Victoria will be pleased. 
• Actors who over-do it.  CHECK.  I would guess that this is due to the small market here, forcing actors primarily into theater and not faring well with the transition from stage (where you pretty much have to over-do everything) to television.  The woman who plays the “white muslim wife” is the most guilty of this.
• After-school special like portrayal of issues as black-and-white, or of people as simply good or bad.  NOPE.  This is the bright spot with this show, it’s tackling a topical issue when it’s somewhat taboo to do so.  And it’s doing it, so far, in a very gray manner.  The main characters are aware of the controversy they represent, they are able to be both upset by it and poke fun at it, and I think that overall it will be a balanced look at the issue.

I’ll be tuning back in, although I highly doubt that this show will make it into my regular rotation.  They caught me at a vulnerable time during the holiday hiatus when nothing else is really on yet.  Once Prison Break, 24, CSI and the rest of the shows come back on I’d imagine that this one will have come off of the regular rotation.